2010: Articles I Think Worth Passing Along

Posted on March 23, 2010 by LJ Earnest
Categories: Open Loops

Tuesdays are open loop at SimpleProductivity blog.

Photo by bredgur

When I was a consultant, I learned very early that if you didn’t get it in writing, there was nothing to stand on if a client came back later. I also find that my memory is not what it used to be, and as far as scheduling is concerned, if it’s not on the shared calendar, it’s not going to happen. Lifehacker had a great article on this at “It Didn’t Happen If You Didn’t Write It Down”.

I’m not crazy about infomercials, or the people that present them (they seem to be trying too hard, IMO). But “7 Amazing Lessons from Peak Performance Coach Tony Robbins” from DumbLittleMan caught my eye. After all, Tony Robbins is very successful. There were two potent reminders for me in this article: “major in major things” and “do what you know to do.” Both very timely.

Dumb Little Man also had a good article on “How to Follow Through on Everything You’ve Said You’ll Do”. I believe that many people don’t do the #1 item: “stop and think before taking on a new commitment”. You’ve only got so many hours in the day, and I don’t know anyone that has extra time they are looking to fill. If you say yes to something, you’re saying no to something else (the reverse is true as well). I’ve had to say no to things lately simply because I value what I’m already doing and not willing to give it up.

The Simple Dollar made me stop and think on two points with “Dealing with Dissatisfaction”. Often when we are dissatisfied with something, we look for a replacement without considering if the benefits outweigh the risks. New software comes to mind with this. I used to automatically take every upgrade to every program…until a software upgrade destroyed a process I had in place to automate web site upgrades. No more.

The other point of the article asks if we really need the functionality at all. My new grocery list software for the iPod Touch is almost impossible to use in the store. But rather than find a replacement, I asked if I really need the functionality. Turns out paper actually works better for me.

Web Worker Daily has an article geared at freelancers at “Improved Productivity: A 12-Step Program”, but some of it applies to those of us who work for others. I find that the first two (“plan your exit” and “plan tomorrow”) are critical to the success of the next day for me. If I work until the very last second, I’m running out the door and feeling frantic when I get home. Even taking five minutes at the end of the day to file time sheets and plan the work for tomorrow makes all the difference.

Photo by bredgur